Dental pencil



(No Model.)

J. A. MGGLELLAND.

DENTAL PENCIL.

No. 375,827. Pafsentml Jan. 3, 1888.

Jbhn al. 7710 C lezland WITNESSES IJV'VEJVTOR Mal/6,.

Attorney be made up of two parts, one of said parts havnew and useful Improvements in Dental Penand cleanly means for cleaning, polishing, and

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN A. MCOLELLAND, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

DENTAL PENCIL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 375,827, dated January 3, 1888.

Application filed June 20, 1887. Serial X0. 241,882.

To all whom/it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN A. MOOLELLAND, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Louisville, in the county of J eiferson and State of Kentucky, have invented certain oils; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertai'ns to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Myinvention relates to certain new and useful improvements in dental pencils, the object of the same being to provide a cheap, eflective,

removing tartar or discolorations from the teeth; and my invention consists in inclosing or attaching a dentifrice or composition in or upon a rigid support, so that it may be applied to the teeth; also, in the combination of the ingredients which form the dentifrice, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate my invention, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a dental pencil constructed in accordance with my invention; and Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a modification, showing the composition applied to one side of the support.

A-refers to the body of the pencil,which may ing a longitudinal recess which is adapted to contain the cleansing composition, which is placed therein before the parts are secured to each other. The configuration of the body A may be either oval or round, and the central opening therein can be square, rectangular, round, or oblong, the lattcrbeing the preferred shape.

The body A is preferably composed of soft wood, though other material may be substituted therefor with advantage.

The composition, which is attached to the support, consists of gum-shellac, two parts; balsam fir, one part; pulverized pumice-stone, six parts, and a sufficient quantity of flavoring substance, as balsam tolu. To this composition it is sometimes desirable to add a small quantity of borax or other cleansing ingredi- (No model.)

out which will exert a chemical or dissolving action upon the tartar upon the teeth. The borax may be added to the composition at any stage in the mixing or compounding of the same.

To prepare the above composition, the gumshellac. is melted in a suitable vessel and the balsams added and thoroughly incorporated therewith. The pulverized pumice is then added with a flavoring ingredient and the borax, after which the whole is worked or rolled into a homogeneous mass. While the composition is still warm it is rolled or cut into thin sheets or bars of a convenient size to be incased in the wood which is to form the covering or support.

The wood is prepared in the form of thin boards of convenient length and width, and prior to having the composition placed thereon they are heated above the melting-point of the composition which they are to receive. While the boards are heated a thin sheet of the composition is placed upon oneof the boards and another board is placed thereon. If desirable, one of these boards may be provided with a groove, or both boards may be grooved or have fiat surfaces. After the composition is placed between the boards they are pressed together and the shellac in the comb position will firmly unite them. Instead of heating the boards, the composition may be placed upon the same in a heated condition, which will attain the same end. Pencils are then cut from the board and are finished in the usual manner for the market. Instead of placing the composition in the center of the pencil, I may place it on either one or both sides of a strip of wood or other suitable support.

I do not wish to limit myself to the use of the exact ingredients herein described; but

removed by ordinary means, and it can be applied to such particular points as the stains exist, and it possesses sufficient hardness and toughness to admit it being formed in thin bars, which will withstand moderate pressure when formed into bars or disks, and the same is not readily soluble and will not separate from the wood when wet.

The use of the composition is not limited to its application in the form of a pencil; but it may be formed or cut into disks with or without an intermediate lamina of paper,wood,'or cloth, which will contribute to its strength, when it may be used in a disk form as a polishing or cleansing agent in connection with a suitable holder or dental instrument.

I am aware that prior to my invention it was a common expedient to combine glue and emery and mount the composition upon a sup port for abrading or polishing purposes, and I do not claim such as my invention.

I claim- 1. In combination with a wooden support or covering, as set forth, a cleansing composition for the teeth, composed of balsam fir and an abrading material,the same being incorporated with each other and applied to the support in a heated condition, so that the parts will adhere to each other, substantially as JOHN A. MGCLELLAND.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR DEVINE, LoUIs A. HERRING. 

